My Treat
by Karianasan
Summary: After being home after a long Mystery, Daphne wants to go out. But it's no fun alone, so she 'convinces' Velma to join her to go shopping. Everyday/Slice of Life story. Got hit by an inspiration, been a long time since I wrote something in one go. So enjoy some cute scenes between Daphne and Velma!
1. My Treat

Bent over her computer, Velma Dinkley was captivated by her work before her. Huddled over her laptop resting on the desk in her room, her face as illuminated by the screen as she typed away at the document she was compiling. They had gotten back home after a rather complex mystery that they had stumbled across, and the bookish woman wanted to make sure her paperwork was in order before sending to the local authorities that arrested the criminals, and for her own personal records.

She had been so caught up in the words that she was tweaking and making sure their accuracy... that she didn't notice the creeping form that had crossed her room silently and was inching up behind her.

" **Got'cha!** "

Reaching around Velma, a voice rang out behind her as a pair of hands came out of nowhere and moved to tickle the surprised brunette.

Twisting sharply, Velma moved out of gut reaction to the sudden onslaught. Swinging a well-placed elbow at the 'attacker' out of instinct. Though her mind processed that she was at home, safe, and this was most likely one of the gang... She had just been recalling the monster that had tried to capture them, so her spook reflex was higher than normal. And as smart as her brain was, it sometimes had trouble keeping up with her self-preservation reactions. After all, it kept her safe all these years.

But her elbow didn't land on its intended target, instead it was caught lightly in the grip of her best friend and terror, Daphne Blake. The older woman knew that she could be walking into a land mine, surprising Velma like that. So, she was prepared for the elbow that came swinging at her suddenly. It wasn't the first time the elbow had been flung her way, but most of the time as long as she knew it was coming, could she block it in time. _Mostly_.

"Hiya Velma. Nice Elbow!" Letting it go, Daphne grinned innocently at her friend. Peering around the woman to look at her laptop as if nothing had happened. "What'cha working on?"

Seeing who it was, Velma tried to calm herself down from the bristling feeling she had at the scare. Mentally grumbling slightly at the fact that her elbow didn't actually hit her, to maybe deter the Daphne from doing things like that. But Velma didn't want to actually hurt Daphne, and well... She knew that a small hit probably wouldn't have stopped her anyway. She knew the woman too well, that such a thing wouldn't faze her from being a butt sometimes. So, all Velma could do was sigh and shake her head at her friend.

"I was just trying to get my paperwork in order to send to Sargent O'Conner about the case. I know it's not really needed, since they make their own files. But I like trying to help them out with the most information I can, to make sure these guys get put away."

Nodding Daphne agreed. "Keeping them off the streets is good. How much time do you have left till you're done?"

Shifting back to the laptop, Velma scrolled through her work. Mentally scrolling with it, to see if she had gotten all her points out that she wanted too, and covered everything she thought would be beneficial.

"Well, it looks like all my points are down. I just need to flush some points out, add on files from the mystery, fix grammar, spelling and any punctuation I missed... Then one more look over before I print it out, get it ready for mailing. And email a second copy in case."

It was good to provide a physical copy, as well as digital ones.

"How long have you been at this?" Daphne wondered, knowing Velma could easily get caught up in things for hours on end. And if that was the case... She would take advantage of it.

Thinking about it, Velma had to think back to when she had started her work. They had gotten home three days before. The first day is normally a KO day for the group, usually crashing as soon as they got to the house. Especially if they had been driving, or had to cross several time zones to get back to home sweet home. Day two could been a bleed over from the day before, again depending on how crazy things had been. But usually by the third day, they were pretty much back to normal. And so, she had started her paperwork the night before, trying to make sure she got down everything before she forgot anything important. (Ignoring her normal, on site notes that she tried to keep between down times of being chased, finding clues and such.) And eventually she had to crash last night and woke up that day, to continue her work. If she just was just calculating today...

"Hm. I think only about seven hours since I got up at eight am. Though I did stop for lunch... I think"

Stopping, Velma tilted her head to the side and scrunched her face in thought as she tried to recall if she had eaten that day, or what she was remembering was just the night before. Sometimes when she really got into something, it was hard for her to keep track of things like 'eating', and 'time passage'.

"Then I think you are time for a break." Daphne declared, giving her head a strong single nod.

"But... But..." Velma tried to vainly argue against the red head. But she knew that look, and was going to be forced for this break if she liked it or not. Though it was better that it was just her, and not the whole gang dragging her out of her room. She hadn't been **THAT** bad... yet.

 _It might not be bad for me to get something to eat... I wonder if Shaggy has any leftovers in the kitchen?_

Leaning over Velma as she was distracted with her own thoughts, Daphne reached her longer arms over the woman's own shoulders. Stealing her mouse and keyboard, Daphne looked over the work and well was impressed. It was a decent amount of work for only two days, big word and page count, and it was well organized. Her inner journalist approved, but didn't deter her from her mission.

Taking a moment to realize what program Velma was using, Daphne easily found the save button. Knowing well enough that Velma was a persistent saver, she didn't have to mess with Velma's folders or file naming conventions. Personally, having her own laptop well organized and just the way she liked it. She didn't want to do anything to Velma's laptop. Hitting the save button, she then released the mouse and keyboard back to its original owner.

"Alright, now that it's saved. You're coming with me!"

Wide eyed, Velma flailed as Daphne pulled her off her chair and moved the two of them through the house. It seemed that Daphne was not going to just be content to make her get something to eat, but had an ulterior motive to her sudden appearance to Velma. And she was moving towards the front door with purpose!

"Wait! I'm not dressed to go outside."

Velma whined, trying to tug against the grip on her arm. Daphne stopped long enough to look the woman over, dressed in her nice red pajama pants that the woman had gotten her as a gift, and a simple orange t-shirt. The pants were pretty common, and Daphne had seen worse outfits on people walking around normally. So, she saw nothing wrong with what Velma was wearing. Just different then Velma's normal skirt and turtle neck combo.

"Oh shush, you look fine. Come on!"


	2. First stop, Blake Clothing Boutique

" _I'll get you Daphne..._ "

Grumbling, Velma angrily chewed off a piece of pretzel in annoyance. Not only had Daphne dragged Velma out of their house, but had shanghaied her all the way to the woman's favorite mall. A place that Velma didn't mind going to, honestly. But she preferred getting to go when she wanted to... Not being dragged there by her resident Mall-rat.

 _At least she did get me this pretzel. I was hungry._

Her mind tried to remind her that her captor hadn't been that cruel, and made sure as soon as they were inside the beloved shopping center, that Daphne offered something to appease the rumbling that was coming from Velma.

 _Shaggy would approve._

After having a small chuckle at her own thoughts, she sighed and resigned herself to her fate. It had been a while after all, since she had been stolen away to the mall with Daphne. So, her time had just come up. And she didn't mind shopping with the eager red head, Velma just had a hard time getting into the act as much as her taller companion did.

 _I never understood why it's so much fun to go look at clothes. And the fact that fashions always changing, and shifting from one trend to another. It just seems like such a hassle to want to keep up with such things. One day some famous person wears something, and then the masses rush to all have something like that. Only for another person to come along and change the look in an instant. So fickle._

Velma didn't want to complain out loud, so instead grumped to herself mentally. It was worse that she knew that she had been one of those 'famous people' that influenced a thread. Though enough time had passed, there was still some people that she knew of that ' _rocked the Dinkley look_ '. Much to her chagrin.

"You almost done? Sadly, we can't enter the store with that pretzel." Daphne spoke up softly, feeling bad to need to tell Velma to hurry up and eat something she had only given to her a bit ago. But the store had the policy, not her. And she didn't want to go to another one, since this was the store she needed.

"It's ok Daph. Here."

Tearing a chunk of the snack off, she offered the piece to Daphne. After seeing the store name, Velma knew what they were here for. She should have figured it out earlier, since Daphne had lost one of her favorite outfits on the last mystery. And needed to replace the torn purple dress and iconic green scarf. So, she had to go to her on family's store, to buy her own signature look. And while Daphne was a Blake, and could easily waltz into the store and demand that the manager change policy, the older woman didn't like to abuse her names power like that. It was hard enough to make them accept her money sometimes, not wanting to take money from one of the 'owners'.

Looking at the offered piece and the look Velma was giving her, she took it and enjoyed the salty snack outside the edge of the store. Munching on the bits between the two of them, so they could enter without issue.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Though if the guys were here, that wouldn't have taken so long." Velma chuckled. Knowing the two garbage disposals were great at getting rid of food and quickly.

"Yeah, something as small as that wouldn't have even lasted from the line to here." Daphne admitted, tossing a thumb at the nearby shop they had gotten the treat from.

"You got that right." Velma laughed, tossing the wrapper into a nearby bin. "Shall we get this over with?"

"Yeah. Let's."

Leading the way, Daphne pushed open the door and moved inside. Ducking past where the greeter was distracted with someone else, she crouched to hide herself behind the racks of clothing. Daphne knew all the stores in the Westward Mall, especially the clothing stores by heart. Daphne knew that the dresses she was looking for, was sadly in the back of the store. Which meant sliding back and forth in the racks, hoping to pass as many workers that she might end up knowing. And worse, would know her in return.

 _I wonder how many times she has to do this, every time she needed to replace her dress. No wonder she makes such a big stink whenever it gets dirty, or ripped. If she has to do this to get more._

Following in pace, Velma was able to keep up with Daphne's covert operation. Though the shorter woman had a far easier time moving without being seen, since the racks were so tall to show case the dresses that hung from the hangers on the racks. That and Daphne's red hair stuck out like a sore thumb.

After a few close calls, the duo made their way to the area Daphne as looking for. Almost buried in the back, the display was screaming Daphne Blake. Draped in only her signature outfits, it was filled with all the most famous looks of Daphne. Hanging on racks in all sizes, and being modeled with the finest mannequins. Posed off of the many postures of her Best friends that Velma knew existed out in the world. Often having people like to take pictures iconic poses that had been captured by the media.

"Can I help you?"

Turning to the source of the question, Velma jumped a bit at the sudden arrival of the worker. Not noticing the woman until too late.

"Ah, I see you are looking over our Signature Blake line! Very hot ticket item and award winning design. Actually, modeled after the one and only Daphne Blake, Mystery Solver and Fashion icon. You have great tastes, Miss."

Looking Velma up and down with a calculated glance, her look at least wasn't judging. More like the detective glances she herself often used. Probably sizing up her as a customer, and or trying to see her sizes to be able to assist her better. Though in her current outfit, it was an easier task then in her normal poofy outfit. Her turtleneck tended to warp her silhouette and make guessing her sizes harder. Not that she minded.

"I... um..." Not sure how to deal with the woman, she as a bit distracted due to Daphne vanishing on her. Hoping that she was out of sight and not going to be nabbed by the worker once Velma had gotten away.

"You look familiar, do you shop here often?" The critical eye of the employee had noticed a familiarity with Velma. Even though she wasn't in her normal garb, her signature color scheme still hadn't changed. And might have put her in the hot seat. Struggling, she tried to come up with something, feeling like she was put on the spot.

"I just came in to look around. I don't know if this is quite what I am looking for." Velma swung her hand, and gestured at the display. Turning slowly, she was about to say something more before the corner of her vision caught what she had been offhand gesturing at...

The display was made up of a large disk base, that raised the two mannequins up so it was easier to see all the details of the "Blake Line" hanging off them. They sat on either side of the disk, facing opposite directions. And in the middle, sat smaller displays for the logo and some accessories... Until now. Now, there was a third 'mannequin' standing behind the main Blake logo. Daphne out of fear at the sudden worker, had reacted like many mysteries they had come across. Pretending to be something inanimate like a museum display or a painting on the wall. Taking up a pose, and holding it there as still as she could make herself. Eyes staring straight in front, but knowing that Velma must have set her into fits when she accidentally pointed right at her to the other lady. Drawing attention to her otherwise perfect hiding spot.

"Oh!" Leaning at where Velma had gestured at, she looked over Daphne. Tilting back and forth to observe her a bit before reaching up and dusting off a corner of Daphne's dress. Not realizing it was attached to a real person, and **THE** Daphne Blake.

"Hmph. I will never understand why customers like touching the displays and getting them dirty. And I thought this display piece was coming next week, but well corporate. Never sticking a schedule. But yes, you might have a point. I might have something... we had a display a while ago that might suit you."

Glancing at the small bead of sweat that was slowly dripping down Daphne's face, Velma jumped to agree.

"Yes, you are right. I am more of an autumn, and not sure the lavender would go with my complexion. I would love for you to see what you have in the back, though take your time. I don't mind."

"Ah, yes. You are right. You suit more fall colors. I think I have the perfect thing... Let me go check if we still have any in the back. Please look around in the meantime. I'll be right back. Thank you for your patience."

Turning on a heel, the employee moved away to disappear into the racks and off to where ever the back room was. Hopefully it was far away, and would be hard to find whatever it was... At least Velma could hope.

"Oh, thank god. I thought she would never leave!" Daphne crumbled and almost toppled as she tried to climb out of the display. Velma quickly reached up and snagged Daphne's arms to help her get out without falling over.

"Man Daph, that as some quick thinking! I didn't know where you had gone, and the lady came out of nowhere!"

"Yeah, that is one determined manager. I like the initiative, but man. And then I almost lost it when you just started waving at me. I nearly freaked when she brushed off my dress. I'm glad she didn't grab me to adjust where I was placed. I kind of jumped over the logo, and didn't really see how well I looked. I just didn't have time."

Taking a deep breath in and out, she slumped over to lean against Velma. Catching her breath and making her hands stop shivering. The adrenaline still rattling through her.

"I thought you had managed to duck behind on of the racks or something. I didn't guess you would pull off a Museum Freeze on me!" Velma leaned back against Daphne, her heart bouncing around in her chest. She wouldn't have to be this stressed had she just stayed home.

"Well, I didn't know what else to do. My body just jumped into Mystery mode and apparently, my head thought that was the best idea. It at least worked. Though we better hurry before she comes back."

Tugging on Velma, she dragged the woman to her feet and moved to go through the racks to get a replacement for the ruined clothing. Aiming for two dressed just in case, and four scarves. Since they tended to get snagged easier than anything else, and get holes in them.

"Though you were wrong." Putting the article of clothing over one arm, Daphne felt like she had to correct Velma.

"Oh?" Velma had been talking randomly to the woman to try to distract her, not really trying to be accurate in what she had been saying. As long as she didn't noticed Daphne standing there.

"You are an Autumn, but then so am I. At least based on Color Analysis and our hair colors. So, that means that you would suit the purple range. Though if you get into the pickier, Dark, Warm and Muted sub types, being a Warm Autumn... that doesn't involve my beloved colors. I sort of agree with it, but still think I look amazing in Lavender. So, you can only take it with a grain of salt." Daphne huffed, which made Velma amused and curious if there was any actual science behind Color Analysis that was worth looking up... Though totally not for fashion reasons! Purely science and researching things.

Peering around the corner, Daphne held up a fist to motion Velma to wait. Lifting up the edge of a nearby sleeve, Daphne seemed to be looking at whole might be running the cash registers. Velma was surprised that her best friend didn't pull out a mirror and had used it to look around the 'corner' to look. Though either she didn't bring hers, which was probably unlikely. Or she had her hands full, to try bringing it out, which made a bit more sense. Or Daphne was worried that the mirror might reflect light and then bring attention to their position... which was another possibility.

"Yes! She seems new. I didn't see her last time. Come on."

Standing up, with cloths over one arm, Daphne strode up to the registers. She wanted to seem like a normal customer, so she just moved like a normal person would. Velma moved to stand with her. There was no line, so they were able to move right to where the young woman was standing.

Daphne and the cashier moved to exchange normal pleasantries. Did she find everything ok, mention of sales, yadda yadda. Things that Velma knew was part of the shopping experience, but not something she really cared about. She preferred just to get her clothes and go to better stores, that she enjoyed far more. And while it was a bit of a rush to try to sneak through just to buy Daphne's clothing, it would be a pain if that had to happen **EVERY** time she wanted to buy her clothes.

Distracting herself, Velma looked around the area where the lady was taking Daphne's purchases and ringing them up. It seemed that one of the main building structure had to have been built with one of the main load bearing pillars cutting the counter in half. Putting a set of registers on either side. But it was what was on the pillar, that gained her attention and then dread.

"Um... D... er... Hey Pal." Inching nearby and elbowing Daphne in the side, she tried to nod towards the pillar and get Daphne's attention without saying her name. Since hanging on the divider was a small photo of the red head, no doubt to be able to inform anyone working there of who she was, and what she looked like. Even if the employee had never ran into her before.

Daphne tried to ignore the pokes, trying to finish up her conversation with the cashier until she finally gave in to Velma's persistence. Eyes growing wide as she saw the small poster and her familiar face upon it. And to make matters worse, the two ladies heard a familiar voice come up from one side.

"Oh, there you are! I was looking for you..."

It was the manager from before. Daphne's eyes met the woman for a moment, as she reached into her purse and grabbed a hand full of money. Not being able to count it, she just hoped that it would be enough to cover the outfits. Moving to shove the money at the cashier, she grabbed her bag and snagged Velma's arm and ran off! Making a beeline for the exit in record time, dragging Velma behind her.

* * *

"..."

"I seems like I owe Joel an apology for chewing him out for putting out a display that wasn't really there." Leaning against the register, the manager woman sighed and shook her head. She had met Daphne several times before, and was surprised at how well the display had captured her likeness... Not realizing that it was the genuine article trying to hide from her.

"Miss Wanda..." Trying to get her bosses attention, the young woman behind the register still had her hands full with the cash that Daphne had shoved at her.

"...What do I do?" She asked in a timid voice, staring at all the hundred dollar bills that had been staring back at her. More cash than she had ever handled in one place. Though the Blake line as known for its affordable prices, so the money was not beyond what some women might pay for their outfits. But far more than the few dresses and scarves would account for.

"Oh, don't worry about that Tara. Let me take care of it. That woman in the red hair was Daphne Blake, she is one of the founders of the store, and she comes here often. So, you might see her again. If you do, please get me and I'll take care of it." Moving to take the money from the petrified woman, Wanda sighed and held out the outfit she had found in the back for the other woman with Daphne.

"Oh, this is from the old Dinkley line, isn't it? I didn't know we had any left. They flew off the shelves pretty quickly. Such a cute skirt." Tara said, taking the outfit and tucked it over an arm to see if she needed to do anything else for her boss before putting the outfit back.

"Yes. I should have known better. I knew she looked familiar. If you can put that back in the back room, I would appreciate it. And then if you can get back here, so I can make a call." Wanda sighed again, knowing that she would have to let her district head know about the event. Not looking forward to that phone call.

"Yes, Miss Wanda. I'll be right back." Tara said, moving to put the outfit back into the back room. Though she did give the skirt a look over, considering buying the cute piece for herself.


	3. It Called to Her

"Safe!"

Panting... Daphne had run a good long while before she finally stopped to catch her breath. Finally releasing her captive, poor Velma, to recover from the dash.

"You know... I know you don't like pushing people around with being a Blake. But man! That was not worth it for just some clothes." Velma leaned against a nearby wall, enjoying the coolness that came off of it as she pressed herself against it to stay standing. Hands resting on her knees as she tried to collect herself.

"Just Clothes!" Daphne seemed to get all annoyed, but wasn't able to hold up the charade for very long. She as too tired from the stress of it all.

"Yeah, I know. The only problem is the fact that Daddy loves this branch. And Mom also comes here a lot. So, it's kinda a flagship store, and thus holds more weight since the founders are local. It's a real pain in the butt! I can't just order them against stuff like that. Maybe if I ran into another branch, but Daddy holds more power than I do here."

Daphne knew she was going to hear it from her Dad later. But she really didn't want to think of that now. Since the hard part was over, now she could go shopping to her hearts content! All she had to do was stray away from her store. Which was pretty easy, since the mall didn't tend to put the bigger clothing stores next to one another, rather spreading them out and putting other shops in between for better sales.

"Oh, I think I have a coupon to this store!" Chirping happily, Velma groaned as she noticed they were leaning against yet another clothing store.

"Really Daph, didn't you just get what you needed?" Velma whined, not really looking forward to crawling through more racks of clothing. Though this time not using them as cover, but just looking at them instead.

"But, this is now for fun! I want to keep my options open, since I never know when I will come across something cute to wear." Daphne gushed, loving to just look around and see what new style might have come out. "Or maybe we will find something new for you!"

Daphne said giving Velma an eager look. Earning another groan as Velma knew that Daphne was always itching to have her try new things and force her out of her comfort zone when it came to clothing.

"Mrrrr... Fine. Let's get it over with." Velma relented, knowing that Daphne would never really force her against her will... unless she was using her birthday or a lost bet over Velma's head to make her relent to the outfits.

 _The quicker we get in and look around, the faster we can leave._ Velma thought in hope, knowing that her best friend would still take forever. And it wasn't exactly like brunette could leave without her crimson counterpart. She had the keys after all.

So, they went inside. Daphne immediately saw something she liked. Gravitating towards it, she looked it over and considered the piece. It was far to flowery for Velma's tastes. Then again, Velma over all was more interested in function, then fashion. She liked her clothing to be durable, and server her well on mysteries. Half of these outfits, even in the fall season they were in... seemed far to flimsy to withstand her and Daphne's lifestyle. And even the clothes that they did have, tended to go through a beating and eventually give way. Why they had just risked their necks to get the bag of clothes that her best friend hung over one shoulder.

Also, a problem Velma had, was the fact that she had a hard time looking at clothing and seeing it be something she would wear. Rather, she tended to see all of her aunts in the various clothing that hung on the racks. Since each woman on each side of her family, were very strong individuals and had their own look. Aunt Selma was a dog walker, and had similar tastes in colors that Velma did. Though Aunt Selma was far taller, and tended to have to buy things from a specialty store to suit her bigger frame.

Aunt Thelma loved long coats, and long sleeves. Being a marine biologist like her sister, she tended to be out in the water a lot. So, her outfits reflected that. She wore mostly whites, and blues. Things that would remind her niece of the ocean. Aunt Meg is a farmer. Though she loved all things that sparkled and dressed up in somewhat eccentric outfits from time to time, being very much her own personality. She also was partial to vests. So, whenever Velma saw a vest, she would think of Aunt Meg.

And Aunt Gretchen was the most extreme out of her aunts. Being once an owner of a renaissance fair, she tended to dress up in another of frilly and lacey things. And while most of her outfits normally belonged out of the fairs, she did wear more traditional outfits for fancy family events. And some of these outfits reminded her of that.

And Her own mother had her own look as well. Probably the most normal out of her sisters, and sister in law. But it was still distinct enough for Velma to be able to see her own mother in the store options.

So, it was hard, out of everything that she saw... to not think of one aunt or another, or her own mom. And other things were more Daphne and her cousins. Nothing that wasn't an orange turtle neck, Red skirt, or maybe a t-shirt really felt like her own, Velma look.

"Here, can you hold this? I want to try this on, to see if this fits." Having been looking around as Velma was dissecting the various outfits and seeing which person she knew would be wearing it, her best friend had found something that caught her interest.

"Oh, sure." Taking the offered bag, Velma swung it over her shoulder and watched Daphne skip into the changing room that she had steered them towards as she was looking.

"Hmmmmm..." Velma sighed, fingering a nearby outfit as she waited for Daphne to get back out. Not knowing how long it might take her to go through the few things she had plucked from the racks and thought to try on. The outfit wasn't really her, though it wasn't bad. It looked nice enough, but really wasn't what she liked or would find comfortable. Most of the cuts that were for women didn't really sit on her slightly wider shoulders. And what did seem to fit, would then be baggy around the middle. Which wasn't bad, but something that female fashion seemed to do. They made a lot of clothes for certain body types, and not much for others. Velma knew a few tall people, who always struggled to find the right waist to leg ratio, knowing that she suffered from the opposite issue, being so short.

"Hm?"

Wandering slightly away from the entrance of the dressing room, Velma had something catch her eye. It certainly wasn't her color at all, but it still drew her close enough to finger the edge of the piece. It was a shawl design, top half being a deep navy and the bottom was a nice gray. With little strings hanging down from the edges. It had no sleeves, but just sat around the shoulder, making like a little two pointed cape in the back. And two large black teeth buttons sat on thick cords that slipped into a loop on the other side of the piece to hold it in place. And it looked like the collar would be fluffy and thick around the neck.

Velma _considered_ it.

It seemed pretty sturdy in design. Not something she figured she would take on a mystery, sturdy. But certainly, something she could easily wear around the house in. It didn't have straps in complicated spots, or mysterious buttons that she didn't know what they went to. Or anything like that. It was just a simple design, and would provide warmth around her shoulders when she needed something a bit more than her t-shirts, but less than her normal thick sweater. She only owned maybe one or two hoodies that Daphne had gotten her, and maybe one other kind of long sleeve that sat in that range between t-shirt and sweater. So, it wasn't something that didn't have a purpose. Though it would be limited to colder temperatures... But that wasn't a big enough issue to not consider the item. Then again, she wore her sweaters all the time, so this would be lighter than that.

"Oh, that is cute! Try it on!" Popping out of nowhere, Daphne had snuck up on the distracted woman. Amazed that something had caught Velma's attention long enough for her to be able to get that close without her noticing. Pulling the bag from Velma's grip, she removed the reason why Velma wouldn't be able to try it. Freeing her hands and nudging her towards the rack.

"... Well. It's not really my color." Velma dragged her feet, looking at the price tag. It wasn't as ridiculous as some of the prices that she had saw on their earlier wanderings. But she really didn't know if it was worth it.

"Oh, don't look at that." Daphne said, whapping the tag out of Velma's grip. "If you like it, I'll buy it for you!"

"What, you don't have to do that!" Velma bristled, not wanting her best friend to be spending money on her.

"I can and I will. Do you know how hard it is to shop for you? And the fact that you have actually shown interest in this, means that I would jump to expand your closet, even if it's just a shawl or three." Daphne chuckled, giving a nudge at the end. Heaven forbid Velma actually wear something else!

"And Navy is an Autumn color anyway. You'll look great it in! You have pulled off blues before. Remember that ice-skating dress? That looked nice on you." Daphne pointed out, inciting a groan from the other woman. "Ok, maybe bad example. But you have worn some nice blue dresses before, so you can definitely pull off a navy/gray combo. Just try it on!"

Letting her shoulder droop, Velma couldn't fight against Daphne. And it wasn't like she had grabbed the shawl and ran off to buy it on her. (Though she wasn't sure that wouldn't happen later.) But it at least gave her a chance to see if it even was a nice fit. Reading the labels, she looked at the various sizes the clothing line offered in that piece. Though it actually was a one size fits all, so Velma didn't have to sorry about it being too small.

Unbuttoning the top button, she had to move to grab the shawl before it slid off the hanger. Removing the other tooth, she flipped the cloth around in her hands and slid the material around her shoulders. It only took a second to center the garment to the right place, and fasten the teeth buttons back into place. It kind of felt like putting on a cape, which Velma secretly liked about the whole thing. And she was right, the collar was really fluffy and sat comfortably around the back edge of her neck. Not as all-encompassing as her favorite neckwear, but it was nice enough. And would certainly be nice on a cold night of star gazing, or hot chocolate weather.

"Mmmm, I like. I think that suits you perfectly. Goes great with your eyes!" Daphne praised the shawl, inwardly delighting in the small smile that she had noticed gracing Velma's face as she thought about it being like a cape. Though the red head didn't know why she smiled, if she knew she would have laughed.

"Not sure it goes with the orange t-shirt though." Looking down at herself, Velma didn't know how well navy and grey... though more of a blue grey then a real grey grey. "And my red pants."

"You look lovely. Don't worry about it. I don't think it looks that bad. Blue and reds go together, and at least it's a darker red and orange. It might look worse against a lighter red, or a bright orange. But your pumpkin and rusty red color scheme don't clash as much as like an apricot and salmon pairing." Daphne pointed out in her own way, helping Velma wrangle the shawl back on the hanger. While it was simple to take off, it seemed a bit harder to attach back on. Though it was easier with the two of them working on it. Tucking it over Velma's arm and leading the woman to another section of the store.

"Maybe we can find something else you'll like!" Tugging Velma behind her, Daphne led the charge for new outfits. Renewing her shopping energy since they found _**SOMETHING**_ Velma liked!

 _Oh brother... What have I gotten myself into._ Velma thought, but she didn't miss the happy look on Daphne's face at the promise of new options for her best friend. Which broke Velma's will to fight against it, a tiny part of her enjoying being doted upon by Daphne and making her feel pretty in something.


	4. Recovery and Refueling

"Arrrrgh!"

Venting a bit, Daphne shook her hands for a second, before angrily taking out her frustration on her burger and fries. They had searched the whole store, and soon several after it to try to find something else that was Velma approval worthy. (Making sure to buy their purchases before moving on to the next store) And eventually they had to stop for some food.

"It's alright. I mean we found something." Velma had been more than happy to just have the one item, looking forward to testing it out on the slightly drafty living room window. So, she was content at the purchase. And well, didn't exactly want Daphne to go crazy and spend _more_ money on her.

"But... But... There are still more stores! I want to at least find one more... What are you going to wear when that is in the wash?" Daphne pointed out, excited at the idea of seeing Velma in more options then her usual outfit, or just schlepping around the house in sweats and t-shirt. (ignoring that was what Daphne mostly wore as well, when she was being lazy between mysteries) But she loved having options when the was beyond the front door of the household.

"Fine." Velma relented, making an effort to at least try a bit longer to make Daphne happy. Since she was enjoying hanging out with her. It had been a while since they had just spent some time together that didn't involve sleeping in some haunted place, or passed out in the back of the van. "But only a few more. It's getting later, and I don't want to be here all night. It's been a few hours already."

"Alright, that is fair." Daphne agreed, they had a late start after all. Normally she preferred to head out before noon, so she had the day to be able to navigate to all her favorite stores. Though they did manage to stop in and give Mr. McNallie a hug at his discount shop while they were exploring for Velmawear. Brightening up the man's afternoon with the sudden appearance of his two favorite ladies. Not that he didn't see them enough as is, being their neighbor. But he is always a flatterer, and approved of what they had found so far. Or at least the outfits that Daphne was showing off. Velma had been too shy to show off her new purchase. Not even sure what the guys would say.

While she indulged on the Chinese food that she had gotten, Velma thought back to her various maps that she had been requested by the red head for her often sale sniping. Trying to mentally eliminate the various shops that they had already been too, and see what else was left.

"Well, I don't think that teenie bopper place would have anything." Thinking of the very pink store, Velma had little doubt that she would enjoy anything from that clothing store.

"Oh, Darla's? Yeah, it's a bit more on the younger side. Though what about Ever After?" Daphne knew that look that Velma had, and could tell she was in record mode. Recalling the map layout and making sure they didn't waste the rest of their time. Trying to pick only the best stores.

"Isn't that the more frilly store? Has more blouses and things like that? If anything, I want something like the shawl. Something I can sit around in. I think that might be a bit too fancy to find that." Velma pointed out. Nothing against the store, but it was more for shopping for outfits for fancier occasions like weddings or galas. Not frumpy, home reading wear.

"Ah, true. I do need to get a new outfit for a baby shower next month. Mysteries willing. But I can easily steal Fred or Shaggy for that shopping." Daphne thought, knowing that she didn't have a thing to wear for that.

"Poor guys." Velma snickered. Not wanting to be in their place as often as her best friend stole them.

"Fred complains more, but Shaggy doesn't mind as much. As long as we hit up the food court some time... Or twice." Daphne corrected with a laugh, though she did enjoy his company. He was really useful for several reasons, and his laid-back nature made his pretty chill over all.

"True, Food is a good incentive. Why Scooby Snacks work so well." Velma chuckled, hitting the bottom of her noodle carton with a sad thunk. Pawing with the tings of the fork to make sure no food was left uneaten. A cardinal Shaggy/Scooby eating rule. Well, unless it was being taken home for leftovers.

Licking her fingers, Daphne had finished her burger and made sure to waste nothing before making sure all the fries were gone as well. And doing it in the most graceful and dainty manner Daphne did unconsciously.

"That leaves just the big retail store at the end of the upper west hallways, and a few smaller stores on the way. Well, unless we want to go for the bigger store and hit the smaller stores on the way back to the van." Velma offered, thinking about the best way to go about it.

"Hm... Well, that store does have a larger selection. And since it's retail, it has a broader range of options to choose from." Daphne considered it, knowing that most of the smaller stores that they had left, were kind of niche and might not fit what they were looking for. Though one store on the way did make Daphne grin.

"Sure, but we have to at least hit Hot Topic on the way back!"

Mentally going through her brain catalogue, it took the Brainiac a second to recall the name of the store and the contents that were inside. Pressing her lips together and sending a look over at Daphne, she was not amused.

"Sure _Crush_. I bet we'll find **loads** of options there." Velma droned in a monotone, knowing full well of the beloved goth store that she was talking about. Using Daphne's Hex Girl name as she snorted and rolled her eyes. Though she wouldn't fully admit to Daphne that she personally liked the store for some of its content. But felt that as an adult, she couldn't pull off the punk look that she enjoyed from their options. Missing her old arm sleeves that she once had during a very short rebellious phase.

"I bet you could pull off a corset pretty easily." Daphne said, wiggling her eyebrows at Velma. Undeterred by the reaction she was given. Taking pride in the short stint she had done with Thorn and the ladies. Even if it didn't last long.

"No... Just **no**." Velma wasn't sure she would ever have the courage to put herself into one of those. Though she knew the garment more from Ren fairs then the gothic store they were talking about. Not knowing exactly what type of corsets they would have, though probably mostly coming in black or red.

"I don't think I could ever convince myself to wear one of those in front of people. I would have to not be _myself_ , like for a Halloween costume or something." Velma admitted, trying to think of a reason she would ever consider wearing such a thing. She was just too shy to wear something that revealing and tight.

"Ah... so we know what Velma is going to be this Halloween! I'll make sure Fred and Shaggy know, so we can all match." Daphne replied, picking on Velma with a grin. Knowing that wasn't what she said, but couldn't help herself.

"..."

"Oh, don't give me that. Come on, let's get back to looking for something." Daphne dismissed the look Velma shot her at her comment, and scooped up her purchases. Nabbing the garbage to prevent Velma from dragging her feet about getting back to shopping.

"If you do... I'll get you for that."

"Promises Promises."


	5. Last Chance of the Night

It didn't take long for them to hit the big retail store at the end of the north-west corner of the Westward mall. The entrance took up the whole wall at the end of the hallway that led to it. It was a simple display in the windows, showing off the range of items that was available. And being one of the major draws of the mall, it stretched top to bottom, of all three of the floors of the mall. Each section having a different set of options that you could by.

As the food court was located on the top floor, they had to move through the main bit of the store to get to the indoor escalader that traveled to the lower levels. Top floor being more men's wear, with the second floor being mostly women's. First floor had makeup, jewelry, purses, footwear and such. And technically there was a basement level, though it was smaller than the whole store, so it didn't really count to the overall floors of the main mall, and down there was housewares.

So, it didn't take to long for them to get to the floor they needed. Though it was hard to drag Daphne past some of the nice men's shirts that she would have loved to put on Fred and Shaggy. Making sure she didn't buy them randomly, to be added to the small pile of things that ' _Daphne bought for us on a whim_ ' outfits. Knowing that Velma herself, had a few hangers in her closet that she deemed that as well. But never had the heart to refuse the outfit once it was inside the house.

Once on the right floor, Daphne went about searching for the right Velma wear. Popping herself out of the various racks as she hunted like a bloodhound for the perfect look, as Velma meandered along the racks and looked over the options. Though most of the things that Daphne found, while not a bad look, wasn't exactly what she was looking for.

"How about this one?" Daphne chipperly brought forth something for Velma to look over.

Tilting her head, Velma considered the article of clothing that was presented before her. It was a long kind of jacket, a dark olive green which wasn't a bad color. Not her normal color, but in the range, that she could see herself wearing. And apparently along the proper color scheme of her hair and skin tone according to the color analysis. Though it was a bit weird, as it didn't have any type of buttons on it. But she decided to give it a try.

Handing over her shawl, Velma took the green jacket in her hands. It was thicker than she had originally thought, adding a plus to the checklist of pro and cons of the option to consider. But it was really long... which she wasn't really sure if that was a bad thing or not. Just not something she expected, though she was short overall. Depending on who the jacket was made for, it might not seem as large as it did on her. It ended a bit after her knees, and the sleeves were thin but long, swallowing the palms of her hands. But the strangest part of the whole thing was the huge neck area. There just seemed to be so much material, Velma didn't know what it was for. But she didn't have to ponder long, as Daphne reached up and tugged on it, pulling the material over her head revealing that it was a hood.

"..."

A ridiculously huge hood that once over her head, drooped as low as her chin. Hiding her whole face from view. Though that didn't stop her from hearing the chuckles from Daphne. Who seemed amused at the over sized look of the jacket.

"Ok, that is a _no_ , right?" She admitted, looking it over as Velma took it off.

"Yeah, not that bad, but kinda weird. The hood seems silly, and not sure why I would need it that large. Well, beyond being silly and pretending to be like an Assassin or Jedi."

"Wouldn't that need to be brown then?"

"Yes. It reminds me a bit of a really thin bathrobe with its length. But I can't see myself in this. Not bad, but not quite me. Sorry Daph." Struggling to put it back on the hanger, Velma handed it off to Daphne to put it back where ever she found it.

"Not to worry, I'm slowly getting a handle on what you are looking for I think." Not deterred, Daphne took the clothing and ran off. Not even returning the shawl as she looked for the next option. Velma held out her hand for a second, before just dismissing it. Not that Daphne would notice one extra bag to her pile she already had.

Going back to the racks, Velma wandered a bit before her best friend returned again. It was another through like jacket, but it looked knitted. Various blue shades covered the outfit, and it was very soft to the touch. But immediately Velma saw a flaw in the material.

"Sorry Daph. I don't even need to try it on. As nice as it looks, I don't think it would last more than a few days."

"Oh, I don't think it's that flimsy." Daphne said, looking it over and trying to see what Velma was thinking.

"Two things. One, I am pretty hard on my clothes. And I know I'm not the best when it comes to washing things on the right settings, or not accidentally having the wrong kind of clothing together. I would be afraid that I might forget and maybe put this in with my overalls and the hooks would snag and ruin the knitting."

"Hm, true. This is a weak weave. Not like that sweater Maddie gave you that time she was into that sewing trade school. What is the second reason?" Daphne asked, wondering what it might be.

"Our resident Dane."

"Oh yeah, I hadn't thought about that. His paws do get into everything. And he would make swiss cheese out of this. Alright, next item." Undeterred, Daphne moved off to put the last item away and resume her search. Like Scooby chasing after a bone, she was persistent. Though Velma did notice a small growing pile of things on her shoulder that sat outside of any of the bags. Feeling a bit better that she wasn't holding herself back from looking for things for herself. Not that she thought Daphne would be able to resist.

Time passed and Daphne had returned a few times before her own pile had gotten too big for her to ignore. But they had walked about halfway through the store, and the changing rooms sat in the middle back of the store. So, it was a good resting point for poor Velma. Not enjoying the search as much as Daphne did, and the price tags even less so.

She knew that clothing was an important necessity for living, like food and shelter, but she still felt bad each time she bought more clothing. Though unlike most people, she would get more than her money's worth from her outfits since she would practically wear it till it disintegrated. Unrepairable or stained in such a way that it was not good to try to fix. Certainly, wasn't one of those ladies that would buy one pair of shoes, and then never wear it again. (Thankfully as much as Daphne loved her shoes, she made sure to get pairs that would go with a lot of her outfits. So, she would make good use of the hordes of shoes she owned.)

Sitting on the offered seating, most likely for the poor guys that got dragged to the store by their wife or girlfriends, Velma made sure to put some space between her and the only guy sitting there. Probably stuck waiting, as he was sitting there with a purse on his lap.

 _Poor guy._

Leaning back, Velma sighed. She loved Daphne, but she was glad this wasn't a common event. She wasn't sure she could deal with doing this often. And felt bad for the rest of the gang that were subjected to this more than she was. Thankful for the mellow Shaggy and his sacrifice for being the resident pack mule.

 _I'll have to do something nice for them, when I get back._

Looking over from where she was sitting, she noticed something that caught her eye. Calling out to her, another clothing tried to get her attention like the shawl had. Making sure to grab all the bags, she pushed off the seating and shuffled towards the rack to get a closer look. Not sure that if on closer inspection, this would pass the tests she had for what she was looking for.

Off the bat, it wasn't one of her primary colors, but Brown wasn't something that she shied away from. It matched her hair, and it was along the 'orange' spectrum of colors. But as she got in really close, it was actually a mix of reds and browns. So, it wasn't a loud color, which she could appreciate. Her sweaters were loud enough in their orange, so this was a nice more mellow brown-ish red tone. It had a large X pattern to it, having the top and bottom inside the X shape, a darker tone with some slight lines to break the weave and add some personality to it. While the sides of the X were plain and slightly lighter. Tugging on the edge, she noticed that it was not a sweater, but in fact like her shawl. Though looking up at the sign that hung over the rack, it seemed to be called a poncho in style. Which made sense why it looked a bit oddly shaped from further away. The edges of the poncho had a ribbed pattern around the trim, and the corners of the poncho was attached for where arms would go. Unlike the shawl that was free flowing.

"I guess I just need to leave, and you find things on your own." Daphne came up from behind, joking. Though she looked over the poncho with approval. It was in her color, and seemed like something Velma might wear.

"Well, what are you waiting for, try it on."

"Well, I could use a hand." Velma mused, holding up the pile of bags that she had to take care of. Which earned a chuckle from Daphne. Taking it from her, and then nodding at the piece. "Now what are you waiting for."

Rolling her eyes, Velma moved to find the right size. Unlike the shawl, the hangings bore the various markings of sizes. Though she didn't tend to pay attention to most sizes, since fashion tended to not really have a solid standard across the board, she knew she wasn't a small... and most of the things that passed into XX territory could end up comically large. Not that it wasn't nice to have a shirt that you could swim in for pajamas, for normal wear it was a bit big.

Plucking a large, Velma looked it over. Flipping it over, she sought out the tag on the inside and figured that was the best place to start. Placing the hook to the side, she slid the neck over her head. catching her hair a bit in the neckline, it gave her time for her hands to automatically slid into the arm holes and help her tug the poncho into place. It was then that she noticed something she had missed with it just hanging on the hanger...

The neckline was a crazy fluffy band of material, reminiscent of her favorite turtleneck. It was a bit bigger, and didn't cling to her neck like her normal sweater. But even just a small tuck of her neck sunk her face into the soft material and burrowed the collar up to her neck.

"Oh... wow. That looks really comfortable." Daphne admitted, looking at the final position of the poncho sitting on Velma's frame. While it wasn't a very figure flattering piece, it made up for the look of utter comfort. And it had added credibility from the look of delight on Velma's face as she sunk into the content familiar feeling around her face and neck. That was enough to sell it to Daphne.

"I got to try this." Placing her bags over a nearby rack. Daphne made sure they wouldn't fall before moving to the pile of ponchos. She thought about taking a smaller size, but this was something made for sinking into on a cold winters day. So, she opted to grab the same size as Velma's. Fighting a bit, she struggled with the neckline for a bit before managing to get herself through the hole. At first the collar was out of place, but with the help of Velma's assistance to get the material tucked the way she had it, she noticed the woman melting into the poncho like she had.

"Oh wow. I was right. This _**is**_ amazing!"

"Mm. Not really your color though." Velma pointed out, enjoying the warmth that the poncho had. It made her feel more comfortable, similar to when she wore her sweater. The thinner t-shirt was a bit unnatural to her to move around in public and fall weather. So, the added weight and warmth was a relief to her.

"Mm, I'm an Autumn as well. I can pull off browns." Daphne weakly defended herself, snuggling into the poncho. Which earned a chuckle from Velma.

"Though won't you be worried that we are wearing the same thing?" Velma mused, knowing that sometimes Daphne complained when other people did that.

"Meh, you're my best friend. It's different." Daphne huffed, knowing full well she though being 'twinsies' was a bit silly, all the times her other girlfriends brought it up to try. But this was different. This was comfort to the extreme. And it over ruled anything else. Plus, it was matching Velma. How often would she get the chance to do that?

"Well, we better pay for these then. Before you forget and just walk out in it." Velma mentioned, moving to pluck the pile of their previous purchases off the rack and made sure it wasn't too much of a mess in result of the stuff being dumped on it.

"I'm just glad the tag is on the outside. It makes it easier to scan it to buy. Otherwise I would have to crawl over the counter so they could get to it." Daphne admitted, waving the small tag around for Velma to see. Though at first the image seemed a bit intense for Daphne to do, but then again... she had seen the woman do worse for a good sale. So, she too was glad that the tag was an easy scan.

Making their way to the register, it took only a bit to convince the lady to let them wear it out. Letting her check them and their bags, to make sure they weren't planning on walking out with anything else from their store. It was late, so there wasn't a line to they didn't have to worry about stalling another customer with their checks.

"Is there anything wrong here?" Walking up, a man with a crisp suit moved to see what the cashier was doing.

"Oh, I was just checking things over. This customer wanted to wear something out, so I was making sure that everything was in order."

Looking up at the 'customer' the man's eyes grew a wide as saucers as he noticed who his employee was detaining. One of his best customers, in Daphne Blake. Rushing to collect all the items, he tried to put them back neatly, apologizing for his worker.

"Oh... Miss **Blake!** I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. The staff here want to make your experience as pleasurable as we can, so I apologize for this act. I promise it will never happen again. I hope you were able to find everything you were looking for. Please let me know if you would like some extra coupons or something, to make up for this."

"Oh, don't worry. I don't mind. Please you don't have to. I just wanted for me and my friend to wear this lovely poncho out, so we can show others how nice it is, and if they ask, let people know where to get it." Daphne added, showing off her new purchase to the manager.

"Oh, it looks wonderful on you. I thank you for your patronage." Moving past the cashier, he fiddled with the balance and the price dropped. Though Daphne didn't want that, she let him do it without bring it up. Thanking him again, and taking their bags and quickly leaving.

"Ugh, I hate when they do that."

"Well, he didn't want to upset his _best_ customer." Velma said through the collar, enjoying having something around her neck again. Forgetting how much coziness she gets out of it.

"Well, it was worth it. I got to expand your closet by two more pieces, and even got me something." Daphne snuggled into the poncho, enjoying how it felt.

"A _nnnnd_ , all the other things you got, right?" Velma pointed out, amused at how she was forgetting the small mountain of outfits she had gotten, over one piece... although a very comfortable bit of material.

"Oh yeah, those too."

"Heh, well... Thank you for buying it for me. You didn't have too."

"Yes, I did." Daphne nodded strongly. Admitting to Velma how she honestly felt. "I don't get many opportunities to share clothes shopping with you. Sure, I bring the guys all the time, but it's not as much fun trying on clothes with them. And you're my best friend. I like doing things with you. Even though you're not a fan of clothes shopping as much as I am. It was still fun to run around and spend some time together."

"Aw, thanks. I did have fun today..." Though as soon as she said it, she regretted admitting it aloud. Seeing Daphne light up at the comment.

"And no, I don't want tomorrow. I still have to finish my paperwork. Another time, yes. But give me a bit between sprees." Velma said, shaking her head. "Plus, I think we almost went through all the options they have. So, we will have to wait till the next wave of clothing comes out that might... might have something I like."

"Fine." Daphne relented, but was still happy at how well the day had gone. Almost skipping in happiness, as they traveled slowly back towards where the van was parked.

"Well... We didn't check _evvvvvvery_ where." Daphne drew out the word, stopping in front of the nearby store front. Knowing it was getting late, but she had to try. Drawing attention to Hot Topic, that they had talked about before. Still having at least an hour or two before the security would be trying to kick them out.

"No." Velma flatly refused. "Well, yes, but not now. It's getting late and the guys must be wondering where we had stolen the Mystery Machine to." Velma pointed out, putting aside her curiously at the store.

"Alright, but it's a promise. Next time. You owe me." Daphne pretended to be pouty, but Velma knew better.

"You got yourself a deal. Next time. But for now, let's go home."

"Yeah, that sounds really nice. I just want to snuggle into this and read a book. Must be your terrible influence on me." Daphne lamented, hamming it up.

"Oh, how will I _live_ with the _guilt_."

Laughing together, they made their way home. Enjoying the company of friends and new clothes, looking forward to what tomorrow might bring.


End file.
